Content indicators in a 3D environment authoring application

ABSTRACT

Methods and systems for displaying a content indicator in a 3D environment of a 2D graphical user interface of an authoring application includes receiving an indication to load the object into the 3D environment, displaying the content indicator, which indicates a loading status of the object, based on receipt of the indication and scaling the content indicator. The scaling includes determining a forward direction of the camera, determining a difference in position between the forward direction of the camera and the content indicator, determining a scalar value based on the difference in position and applying the scalar value to the content indicator.

BACKGROUND

Building a three-dimensional (3D) environment, such as a virtual reality(VR), augmented reality (AR), or mixed reality (MR) environment, can bea complex endeavor often requiring an author to have significantprogramming knowledge of the 3D authoring application being utilized.Due to the significant learning curve involved with most 3D authoringapplications, the general public is left to rely upon 3D authoringapplications that are simplified for the inexperienced user by limitingthe types of content that can be used within a 3D environment and bylimiting the amount of control in placing content within the 3Denvironment.

It is with respect to these and other general considerations that theaspects disclosed herein have been made. Also, although relativelyspecific problems may be discussed, it should be understood that theexamples should not be limited to solving the specific problemsidentified in the background or elsewhere in this disclosure.

SUMMARY

Aspects of the present disclosure describe systems and methods forauthoring in a 3D environment. Various aspects of authoring include theability to place and arrange a variety of content types (e.g.,two-dimensional (2D) content, 3D content, 360 degree content, static ordynamic content) in numerous ways the author may envision giving theauthor a wide range of possibilities to build and customize a VR/AR/MRexperience using their own content, e.g. content on their browsers, orcontent of others. More specifically, the authoring application of thepresent disclosure provides a user with built-in systems and methodsthat help to simplify the use and placement of content within a 3Denvironment by providing automated content assistance, thereby reducingthe amount of 3D application programming knowledge required by the user.

In certain aspects, the present disclosure is directed to a vector-basedalignment system for a camera, which maintains the camera's focal pointin the X-Z plane during translation in the Y-axis. In certain aspects,the present disclosure is directed to scaling content indicators ofobjects to appear at a same angle regardless of a distance of the objectfrom a camera. In certain aspects, the present disclosure is directed topresenting standardized indicators of content loading into a 3Denvironment regardless of the content type. In certain aspects, thepresent disclosure is directed to normalizing three-dimensional modelsas they load within a 3D environment. In certain aspects, the presentdisclosure is directed to the translation of 3D objects within a 3Denvironment through a floor translation mode and a wall translationmode.

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the DetailedDescription. This Summary is not intended to identify key features oressential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended tobe used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. Additionalaspects, features, and/or advantages of examples will be set forth inpart in the description which follows and, in part, will be apparentfrom the description, or may be learned by practice of the disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Non-limiting and non-exhaustive examples are described with reference tothe following figures.

FIG. 1 illustrates an overview of an example system for contentassistance in a 3D environment as described herein.

FIG. 2 illustrates an overview of an example method for performing anelevation change in a 3D environment as described herein.

FIGS. 3A-3C illustrate example views of a 2D graphical user interface(GUI) of an authoring application during execution of the method forperforming an elevation change in a 3D environment as described herein.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example method for displaying and a contentindicator of a 3D object in a 3D environment as described herein.

FIGS. 5A-5G illustrates example views of a 2D GUI of an authoringapplication displaying content indicators and objects as describedherein.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example method for rotating content indicatorswithin a 3D environment of a 2D GUI of an authoring application asdescribed herein.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example view of a 2D GUI of an authoringapplication during execution of the method for rotating contentindicators as described herein.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example method for normalizing 3D objects in a 3Denvironment as described herein.

FIGS. 9A and 9B illustrate example views of a 2D GUI of an authoringapplication illustrating placement of a 3D object prior to normalizationand after normalization, respectively, in a 3D environment describedherein.

FIG. 10 illustrates an example method for rotating 3D objects in a 3Denvironment as described herein.

FIGS. 11A and 11B illustrate the compound translations of a floortranslation mode and a wall translation mode, respectively, whenrotating a 3D object in a 3D environment as described herein.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating example physical components of acomputing device with which aspects of the disclosure may be practiced.

FIGS. 13A and 13B are simplified block diagrams of a mobile computingdevice with which aspects of the present disclosure may be practiced.

FIG. 14 is a simplified block diagram of a distributed computing systemin which aspects of the present disclosure may be practiced.

FIG. 15 illustrates a tablet computing device for executing one or moreaspects of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various aspects of the disclosure are described more fully below withreference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, andwhich show specific example aspects. However, different aspects of thedisclosure may be implemented in many different forms and should not beconstrued as limited to the aspects set forth herein; rather, theseaspects are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough andcomplete, and will fully convey the scope of the aspects to thoseskilled in the art. Aspects may be practiced as methods, systems ordevices. Accordingly, aspects may take the form of a hardwareimplementation, an entirely software implementation or an implementationcombining software and hardware aspects. The following detaileddescription is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense.

An authoring application of the present disclosure enables a user tocreate a 3D environment, through use of a 2D graphical user interface(GUI) of the authoring application that presents a development canvas.An author may use the 2D GUI to choose a template of a 3D environment tobe placed in the development canvas that can include customizablefeatures, such as customizable background imagery, lighting and sound. Afloor of the 3D environment is presented in the form of a platterwherein a view of the platter is provided through a camera that iscentrally positioned in the platter. The camera is rotatable through 360degrees to provide a complete view of the platter and content within the3D environment. Different types of content (e.g., 2D content, 3Dcontent, 360 degree content, static or dynamic content) can then beplaced within the 3D environment by, for example, selecting a file toload into the 3D environment. The content placed within the 3Denvironment may have been created within the authoring application or byone or more different types of applications (e.g., word processingapplications, drawing applications, video applications, etc.). To dealwith the varying types of content that can be added to the 3Denvironment and to provide the user with a simplified experience inadding the content, the authoring application provides a user withbuilt-in assistance systems and methods. The assistance systems andmethods help to simplify the placement of content within the 3Denvironment by providing automated content modification, therebyreducing the amount of 3D application programming knowledge required bythe user.

In a certain aspect, the authoring application receives, via the 2D GUI,a user input to add content to the 3D environment. Traditionally, thecontent would enter the 3D environment with the centrally positionedcamera providing a limited ground floor level view of the content.However, to assist in simplifying placement of the content within the 3Denvironment, the authoring application of the present disclosureresponds to the user input by changing the view of the centrallypositioned camera from an original view and height to an elevatedoverview height that provides a broader view of the existing content ofthe platter. In transitioning the elevation of the camera, the perceivedangle of view provided by the camera of the platter is maintained, whilethe field of view provided by the camera is broadened. Subsequently,upon placement of the content within the 3D environment, the camera isreturned to its original position while, once again, maintaining theperceived angle of view provided by the camera.

In a certain aspect, an author of the 3D environment uses the 2D GUI ofthe authoring application to cause the centrally positioned camera tolook to the far left or to the far right of the 3D environment withinthe confines of a 2D GUI display. Traditionally, in such a context, anyobject, for example, a content indicator in a 2D format, located at ornear the far right or far left of the 2D GUI display (e.g., presented asbeing located a far distance from the camera) would typically distortwithin the camera view due to the convex curvature of the camera lens.However, the authoring application of the present disclosure providesassistance to overcome the distortion of the object by scaling theobject to appear at the same size and at the same angle regardless ofthe distance of the object from the camera in a position that may berotated to align with an upward direction of the camera. In certainaspects, one or more scaled content indicators are displayed in the 2DGUI display and provide loading status information regarding the loadingof a selected object (e.g., a 3D object or a 2D object) at a selectedposition within the 3D environment; the same content indicators can beused for both 3D and 2D objects.

In a certain aspect, an author of the 3D environment loads a 3D objectinto the 3D environment via the 2D GUI of the authoring application. The3D object being loaded has been created with a tool that has failed toplace a center position of the object at the actual center of theobject. Traditionally, in such a context, the 3D object would loadwithin the 3D environment at an unexpected location, due to the offsetcenter, rather than at an author's selected location within the 3Denvironment. However, the authoring application of the presentdisclosure provides assistance in positioning the 3D object in theauthor's desired location by normalizing a center of the 3D object.Normalizing the center includes repositioning the center of the 3Dobject to a calculated center that is more representative of an actualcenter of the 3D object than is provided by the original offset center.The normalization enables the 3D object to be presented at a desiredlocation and in a desired orientation within the 3D environment.

In a certain aspect, an author of the 3D environment uses the 2D GUI ofthe authoring application to load a 3D object into the 3D environmentand intends to reposition the loaded 3D object. Traditionally,repositioning a 3D object within a 3D environment would requirefamiliarity with complex professional tools that would move the 3Dobject one axis at a time, typically through use of a “3D gizmo.”However, the authoring application of the present provides assistance insimplifying the repositioning of the 3D object within the 3D environmentby providing the 2D GUI with a floor translation mode and a walltranslation mode. In each translation mode, the 3D object is moved alongtwo of three axes in the 3D environment while the third axis of the 3Denvironment is held constant.

Accordingly, the present disclosure provides a plurality of technicalbenefits including but not limited: providing a broader view of a 3Denvironment upon receipt of a request to add content; eliminatingdistortion of 3D objects positioned at a distance that appears to be farfrom a camera; providing consistent loading status badges across contenttypes; re-centering of 3D objects prior to spawning within a 3Denvironment; and simplifying the process of repositioning a 3D object.

As used herein, an authoring application is used by an author to createor edit a 3D environment through use of a computing device. Theauthoring application provides a 2D GUI that enables the creation and/orediting of the 3D environment. The authoring application may be a nativeapplication, a web application, or a combination thereof, among otherexamples. As noted earlier, various types of content may be embedded orincluded in the 3D environment as content items. Example contentincludes, but is not limited to, 3D objects (e.g., 3D models, figures,shapes, etc.), 2D objects (e.g., files, images, presentations,documents, web sites, videos, remote resources, etc.), or audio content,among other content.

FIG. 1 illustrates an overview of an example system 100 for contentassistance in a 3D environment. As illustrated, system 100 comprisescomputing devices 102 and 104, and 3D environment service 106. In anexample, computing devices 102 and 104 may be any of a variety ofcomputing devices, including, but not limited to, a mobile computingdevice, a laptop computing device, a tablet computing device, or adesktop computing device. In some examples, 3D environment service 106is provided as part of a collaborative, communication, or productivityplatform. It will be appreciated that while 3D environment service 106and elements 108-114 are illustrated as separate from computing devices102 and/or 104, one or more of elements 108-114 may be provided bycomputing devices 102 and/or 104 other examples. As an example,computing device 102 may comprise authoring application 108, whilecomputing device 104 may comprise viewer application 110.

System 100 illustrates 3D environment service 106 as comprising anauthoring application 108, a viewer application 110, a user inputprocessing engine 112, and an authored environment data store 114. Theauthoring application 108 is used to author a 3D environment accordingto aspects disclosed herein. In an example, authoring application 108provides a two-dimensional (2D) graphical user interface (GUI) withwhich a user graphically designs a 3D environment. For example,authoring application 108 enables an author to select content items andposition the content items within the 3D environment accordingly. Inexamples, authoring application 108 presents a list of availableenvironment events, which an author uses to associate one or moreactions of a content item with a selected environment event. Asdiscussed in greater detail below, an end user may then use viewerapplication 110 to consume the 3D environment and interact with contentitems.

3D environment service 106 is illustrated as further comprising userinput processing engine 112. In examples, authoring application 108 usesuser input processing engine 112 to enumerate available environmentevents for a 3D environment. For example, user input processing engine112 may determine a set of available environment events based on acontent item type (e.g., a video content item, an image content item, a3D model content item, etc.). User input processing engine 112 is usedby authoring application 108 to process user input events when an authoris authoring the 3D environment, thereby enabling the author to interactwith content items. Similarly, user input processing engine 112 is usedby viewer application 110 to process user input events when an end useris viewing or interacting with the 3D environment. While user inputprocessing engine 112 is illustrated as separate from authoringapplication 108 and viewer application 110, it will be appreciated that,in other examples, similar aspects are implemented by authoringapplication 108 and/or viewer application 110.

In some examples, authoring application 108 is a web-based application,wherein a computing device of a user (e.g., computing device 102 orcomputing device 104) may access authoring application 108 using a webbrowser. In other examples, authoring application 108 may be anexecutable application, which may be retrieved and executed by a user'scomputing device.

Viewer application 110 generates a 3D environment based on anenvironment data file to enable a user to view, explore, and/or interactwith the 3D environment and content items located therein. In anexample, viewer application 110 is a web-based application, wherein acomputing device of a user (e.g., computing device 102 or computingdevice 104) accesses viewer application 110 using a web browser. Inother examples, viewer application 110 may be an executable application,which may be retrieved and executed by a user's computing device. Viewerapplication 110 may populate the generated 3D environment with contentitems as specified by the environment data file.

Viewer application 110 uses user input processing engine 112 to processuser input from one or more input devices when a user is exploring a 3Denvironment as described above. For example, input events received byviewer application 110 from one or more input devices are processed togenerate associated environment events. A target content item for theuser input is determined, such that a generated environment event isprovided to the content item in the 3D environment accordingly.

Authored environment data store 114 stores one or more environment datafiles, as may be authored by authoring application 108. In someexamples, an “environment data file” as is used herein is stored as afile on a file system, an entry in a database, or may be stored usingany of a variety of other data storage techniques. In an example whereauthoring application 108 is a locally-executed application, at least apart of an authored environment data file may be received from one ofcomputing devices 102 and 104, and stored using authored environmentdata store 114. In some examples, viewer application 110 retrieves anenvironment data file from authored environment data store 114, which,in conjunction with one or more content items and/or assets, may be usedto generate a 3D environment. In an example where a viewer applicationis a locally-executed application, aspects of one or more assetcontainers may be stored local and/or remote to the device executing theapplication, and at least a part of an environment data file may beretrieved from authored environment data store 114. In some examples,the environment data file may be streamed or retrieved in chunks, so asto reduce bandwidth consumption and/or to improve responsiveness. Itwill be appreciated that other data storage and/or retrieval techniquesmay be used without departing from the spirit of this disclosure.

Applications 116 and 118 of computing devices 102 and 104, respectively,may be any of a variety of applications. In an example, application 116and/or 118 is an authoring application as described above, wherein auser of computing device 102 and/or 104 may use the application toauthor a 3D environment described by an environment data file. In someexamples, the environment data file is stored by authored environmentdata store 114. In another example, application 116 and/or 118 is aviewer application as described above, which may be used to view,render, and/or explore a 3D environment defined at least in part by anenvironment data file. In other examples, computing device 102 and/or104 comprises an authored environment data store similar to authoredenvironment data store 114. In instances where viewer application 110 isa web-based application, application 116 and/or 118 is a web browserthat is used to access viewer application 110. In examples, one or moreinput devices and/or a hardware AR or VR device (not pictured) isattached to computing devices 102 and/or 104 and used to view and/orengage with a rendered 3D environment. For example, a VR or AR headsetmay be used.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example method for performing an elevation changein a 3D environment as described herein. In example method 200, a 3Denvironment has been created with an authoring component, such asauthoring application 108, and presented via a 2D GUI. The created 3Denvironment includes at least a platter and a camera. The platterappears as a horizontal surface upon which content items can be placed.In certain aspects, the 3D environment additionally includes abackground, which appears in a perpendicular orientation relative to theplatter. The camera is centrally positioned within the platter andprovides the view of the 3D environment. Example method 200 begins withoperation 202, wherein an input is received to add content to the 3Denvironment. The input to add content may occur, for example, through amenu selection to add content or by selection of a placement locationwithin the 3D environment. Additional inputs are contemplated.

At operation 204, based on receiving the input to add content to the 3Denvironment, the authoring component elevates the camera from a firstheight to a second height. In doing so, the angle of view provided bythe camera is perceived to be maintained while the field of viewprovided by the camera is broadened. In certain aspects, the authoringcomponent need only receive the input to add content in order toautomatically elevate the camera to the second height. In certainaspects the second height is a predetermined height while in otheraspects the second height is calculated based on the first height. Othersecond height determinations are also contemplated. The elevated secondheight provides a broader view of the existing content of the platter.The elevated, broader view of the platter may enable the author tobetter determine a desired placement of the new content.

In certain aspects, the perceived angle of view provided by the cameramay be maintained by:

(a) selecting a target radius on the platter relative to the centralposition of the camera (e.g. TR=a target radius;

(b) determining the forward direction of the camera by removing/ignoringthe pitch of the camera, e.g. removing the up/down pivot angle, θ=0, ofthe camera (e.g., fp=camera's forward direction vector);

(c) determining a unit vector for the target radius with the camerapitch removed (e.g. dfp=toUnitVector (fp.x, 0, fp.z), where dfp is theunit vector of the vector created by zeroing out the y-coordinate offp); and

(d) multiplying the unit vector by the target radius to obtain apositioning vector in the X-Z plane for the camera at the predeterminedelevated overview height resulting in the elevated camera with the samefocal point as the camera at its original height (e.g., T=dfp*TR)

The target radius determines where on the on the platter the camera ispointed as the camera is elevated. The target radius is a constantchosen such that the camera is looking at an intermediate locationrelative to the center and edge of the platter. As such, the targetradius is not chosen to be at the far edge of the platter and is notchosen to be at the very center of the platter.

The maintenance of the perceived angle of view provided by the camera,provides a broadened overview of the platter that may show more contentitems previously placed on the platter. Without maintaining theperceived angle of view while elevating the camera but rathermaintaining the original angle of view provided by the camera at thefirst height, the portion of the platter seen by the camera wouldactually decrease.

Continuing with method 200, at operation 206, the content is placedwithin the 3D environment with the benefit of seeing a greater portionof the platter provided through the broadened overview. In certainaspects, the content is placed at a location point on the platter thatis selected by the author while in other aspects the authoring componentautomatically determines a placement location for the content.Additional manners of determining content placement are contemplated.

At operation 208, based upon placement of content within the 3Denvironment, the camera is returned to the first height within the 3Denvironment while the perceived angle of view provided by the camera ismaintained in the same manner described above. In certain aspects, thecamera is automatically returned to the first height based only uponplacement of the content within the 3D environment. In certain aspects,multiple content items are placed prior to returning the camera to thefirst height. In certain aspects, the camera may be returned to thefirst height in response to inputs other than content placement. Such aninput may include, for example, a menu selection to return the camera tothe first height or exiting a certain operational mode of the authoringcomponent, though other inputs are also possible.

FIGS. 3A-3C provide example top and side views of a 2D graphical userinterface (GUI) of authoring application 108 during execution of themethod of FIG. 2. FIG. 3A illustrates a 3D environment displayed in a 2DGUI 300 of authoring application 108. The 3D environment includes abackground 302, a platter 304 and a camera 306; other elements of the 3Denvironment may also be present. The platter 304 presents a surface uponwhich content items may be placed. In certain aspects, the surface maybe a flat surface while in other aspects the surface may be uneven. Incertain aspects, the platter 304 is in a horizontal orientation,however, the platter 304 may also be presented in other orientations.The background 302 extends about the platter. In certain aspects, thebackground 302 is in a perpendicular orientation to the platter 304. Incertain aspects, placement of content items on the background 302 isprohibited while in other aspects placement of content items on thebackground is permitted. Camera 306 is centrally positioned withinplatter 304 at a first height H1. In certain aspects, the camera 306 isat a fixed position relative to first and second axes (e.g., X-Z axes)of the 3D environment with an ability to translate (e.g., move from tolocation to location) along a third axis, e.g. Y-axis of the 3Denvironment as well as rotate 360 degrees about its fixed position. Asillustrated in the side view of FIG. 3A, the camera is presented at anangle A to produce the view seen in the top view of FIG. 3A. In FIGS.3A-3C, camera 306 is provided as a positional reference for the viewdepicted in the 2D GUI 300 and is typically not displayed in the actual2D GUI. FIG. 3A additionally includes an option 308 to “add” content aswell as existing content 2. A field of view 310 of camera 306 at itscurrent elevation, the first height H1, is indicated by dashed lines. A3D Cartesian coordinate system 312 comprising X-Y-Z axes is provided asreference.

FIG. 3B illustrates 2D GUI 300 as it appears in response to receiving aselection of “add” content option 308 in FIG. 3A. As shown, camera 306has been elevated to an overview height, a second height H2, providing abroadened view of platter 304, as indicated by the additional visiblecontent items 1, 3 and 4. The perceived angle of view has remained thesame for the viewer, however, the actual angle of the camera 306, nowpresented at angle B, has changed in accordance with the method (items(a)-(d)) described above.

FIG. 3C illustrates 2D GUI 300 as it appears immediately subsequentaddition of new content, N, to the platter 304. As shown, the camera 306has returned to its original height with its original focal point 310maintained.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example method 400 for displaying a contentindicator, in a 2D format, representative of a loading object. In themethod 400, a plurality of content indicators in a 2D format areutilized to provide the user with an updated status of loading content(the same content indicators can be used for the loading of both 2Dobjects and 3D objects).

Referring to FIG. 4, the example method 400 for displaying contentindicators begins at operation 402, where the authoring application 108receives an indication to load an object (e.g., a 2D or 3D object) intothe 3D environment viewable within the 2D GUI of the authoringapplication and displays a corresponding object selected contentindicator. FIG. 5A illustrates the objected selected content indicator510(a) in a 3D environment within a 2D GUI 500 of the authoringapplication 108. The 3D environment includes a background 502, a platter504 and a camera 506; other elements of the 3D environment may also bepresent (see additional description of a 3D environment with respect toFIGS. 3A-3C). The object selected content indicator 510(a) indicates anobject status that the author has selected an object (e.g., a webpart).The object selected content indicator 510(a) is associated with a user'scursor such that the object selected content indicator 510(a) is movableabout the platter 504. In certain aspects, the object selected contentindicator 510(a) can include a shadow indicator 512 parallel to theplatter 504 that identifies a placement position of an object, a dashedline 514 about the shadow indicator, and a center position indicator516, in this instance in the form of a 2D cube call-out 516(a) with anextending center line 516(b).

Referring again to FIG. 4, method 400 continues with operation 404wherein the authoring application has received an indication of aselected position in which to place the object and displays a selectedposition content indicator. FIG. 5B illustrates a selected positioncontent indicator 510(b) that indicates an object status of a selectedposition. The selected position content indicator 510(b) is nowstationary at the selected position. In certain aspects the 2D selectedposition content indicator 510(b) includes the shadow indicator 512 thatidentifies the placement position of an object, a solid line 518 aboutthe shadow indicator 512, the center position indicator 516, in thisinstance in the form of a cube call-out 516(a) with an extending centerline 516(b), as well as encircled plus (+) sign. In the context of thedisplay of the selected position content indicator 510(b) data (e.g. a2D or 3D model file) has not yet populated at the selected position.

Referring again to FIG. 4, method 400 may continue with operation 406wherein the authoring application has selected and placed an object withthe 3D environment and has additionally attempted to load the data topopulate the object but has received an indication that an error inloading the data has occurred. Responsive to the indication of theerror, the authoring application displays a loading error contentindicator. FIG. 5C illustrates a loading error content indicator 510(c)that indicates an object status of error in loading. The loading errorcontent indicator 510(c) remains stationary in the selected position. Incertain aspects the loading error content indicator 510(c) includes theshadow indicator 512 that identifies the placement position of theobject, the solid line 518 about the shadow indicator 512, and thecenter position indicator 516, in this instance in the form of the 2Dcube call-out 516(a) with the extending center line 516(b); otherindicators are contemplated. The loading error content indicator 510(c)additionally includes an error indication 516(d). In this instance anencircled letter X provides the error indication; other error indicatorsare contemplated.

Referring again to FIG. 4, method 400 continues with operation 408 inthe instance that an error in data loading of the object has notoccurred. In operation 408, the authoring application has received anindication that the data to populate the object is being receivedsuccessfully and displays a loading content indicator. FIG. 5Dillustrates a loading content indicator 510(d) that indicates an objectstatus of data loading. The loading content indicator 510(d) remainsstationary in the selected position. In certain aspects the loadingcontent indicator 510(d) includes the shadow indicator 512 thatidentifies the placement position of the object, the solid line 518about the shadow indicator 512, and the center position indicator 516,in this instance in the form of the 2D cube call-out 516(a) with theextending center line 516(b). Further, in certain aspects, the loadingcontent indicator 510(d) includes a visual indicator applied to aportion of, or the entirety of, of the loading content indicator 510(d)to indicate active loading. Examples of visual indicators can includebut are not limited to color changes, graphical effects (e.g.,shimmering, blinking, etc.) or text.

Referring to FIG. 4, method 400 continues with operation 410 wherein theauthoring application receives an indication that the data for theselected object in its selected position has loaded successfully.Responsive to the indication, the authoring application removes thecontent indicator 510(d) and, renders and displays the object itself atthe selected position. FIG. 5E illustrates the loaded object 520 in theGUI 500 of the authoring application.

FIG. 5F illustrates a context in which the content indicator 510(a) isat an extreme right position within the view of the 3D environment ofthe 2D GUI 500 of the authoring application 108. To prevent distortionthat can occur in the display of the content indicator 510(a) (or othercontent indicators), the content indicator 510(a) is scaled to alwaysappear within the 3D environment of the 2D GUI 500 at a uniform size andangle independent of distance from the camera 506 in a 3D environment.In certain aspects, the scaling of the content indicator 510(a) isperformed only on the center position indicator 516 (the shadowindicator 512 and dashed line are not scaled) while in other aspects allelement of the content indicator 510(a) are performed. Scaling of thecontent indicator 510(a) by the authoring application includes, withreference to FIG. 5G, the following:

(a) letting d=a vector pointing from the camera 506 to the contentindicator 508, which is equivalent to the position vector of the contentindicator 508 minus the position vector of the camera 506;

(b) letting f=a forward direction vector of the camera 506; and

(c) calculating s to be a scalar projection of d onto f (s=d·f, wherein· is the dot-product (a.k.a inner product) operator.

Note s=d·f can also be expressed as s=|d| cos θ, where |d| is the lengthof d and θ is the angle between d and f. The above-noted process scalesthe content indicator 510 (a) as if it is always on a straight lineextending forward from the camera 506. In this manner, horizontalmovements of the content indicator do not change its scale, which helpsto overcome distortion of the content indicator when displayed near theedges of the display screen.

Scaling enables an author of a 3D environment to use an authoringapplication, such as authoring application 108, to move a contentindicator about a screen view, even at an edge of the screen view,within the 2D GUI of the authoring application without distortion thecontent indicator.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example method 600 for rotating a contentindicator, such as content indicator 510(a) in FIG. 5E, when appearingat an edge of the display screen within a 3D environment displayedwithin a 2D GUI of an authoring application. Example method 600 beginswith operation 602 wherein the authoring application receives anindication to rotate the content indicator.

At operation 604, responsive to the indication to rotate, the authoringcomponent determines that the content indicator should be rotated in itslocal Z-axis so that the content indicator remains flush with the sideof the display screen and performs this rotation by using the upwarddirection/vector of the camera and a forward vector. More specifically,the content indicator is rotated in its local Z-axis to align with thecamera forward vector.

FIG. 7 illustrates a 3D environment displayed in a 2D GUI 700 of theauthoring application 108. The 3D environment includes a platter 702, abackground 704 and a camera 706 (see additional description of a 3Denvironment with respect to FIGS. 3A-3C). FIG. 7 additionallyillustrates a content indicator 710 at a position A prior to rotationabout its Z-axis and at a position B subsequent to rotation about itsZ-axis to align with the upward vector of the camera 706.

In certain aspects, the upward direction/vector of the camera may bedetermined by supplying one or more parameters to a method or functionin a code library associated with the camera object in the 3Denvironment. As a specific example, the upward direction (or relativeupward displacement) of the camera may be determined using a method(such as camera.getDirection) that returns the direction of the camerarelative to a given local axis. In such as example, camera.getDirectionmay be a method in a 3D graphics engine, such as Babylon.js. The forwardvector may also be determined by supplying one or more parameters to amethod or function in the code library. As a specific example, theforward vector may be determined using a method that subtracts theposition of the content indicator in the 3D environment from theposition of the camera. Upon determining the upward direction of thecamera and the forward vector, the upward direction and forward vectormay be used to the content indicator. As a specific example, the upwarddirection and forward vector may be provided to a method or function inthe code library. The method may output a value used to orient thecontent indicator towards the camera.

Referring to FIG. 6, at operation 606 of method 600, the authoringapplication displays the rotated content indicator as aligned with thecamera.

FIG. 8 provides an example method 800 for normalizing 3D objects withina 3D environment. As described elsewhere herein, an authoring component,such as authoring application 108, is configured to access 3D objectscreated and implemented in various 3D environments. In many aspects, the3D objects have been created using various drawing/authoring tools orapplications. Moreover, the 3D objects have been implemented/placed intheir respective 3D environments such that the 3D objects may not be thecenter of their environments. For example, an object may be placed andoriented within an environment with respect to a location or a differentobject within the environment. In such an example, the point upon whichthe object is centered (e.g., the offset center), may be outside theboundaries, e.g. a bounding box, of the object. As a result, when theobject is subsequently loaded into an environment in which the objectwas not originally created, the object may be aligned in the newenvironment according to the point upon which the object was previouslycentered. Additionally, when the object is subsequently loaded into anenvironment in which the object was not originally created, the objectmay retain a scaling factor or dimensions of the previous environment.

The authoring component normalizes the loaded 3D object. In certainaspects, the center of the loaded 3D object may be normalized toreposition the center of the 3D object to a newly calculated center thatreplaces the offset center. Normalizing the center of the 3D objectenables the 3D object to be loaded at a selected location and in adesired orientation, e.g. a forward facing orientation, within the 3Denvironment. As another example, the size of the loaded 3D object may benormalized to prevent illegible, unsightly, or unwieldly zoomperspectives while in an Inspection Mode. Inspection Mode within theauthoring tool enables a user to inspect a 3D object by moving theloaded 3D object into a closer view that depicts the 3D object ingreater detail. Normalizing a 3D object for the Inspection Mode allowsusers to view virtually any object at close range because the 3D objecthas been adjusted to a size suitable for the close range view.

Example method 800 begins with operation 802, where the authoringcomponent has received an indication to add a 3D object to the 3Denvironment displayed in the 2D GUI of the authoring component. Theindication to add the 3D object may be generated, for example, through amenu selection to add content or by selecting a placement locationwithin the 3D environment; other inputs are also possible.

At operation 804, the authoring application normalizes the center of the3D object by:

(a) removing an existing offset center and existing rotation point ofthe 3D object;

(b) measuring visible vertices of the 3D object based on the positionsof the visible vertices within the 3D environment;

(c) determining and assigning a new bounding box that completelyencompasses the 3D object based on the measured visible vertices of the3D object by finding a maximum X, Y, and Z-position and a minimum X,Y,and Z-position in the 3D environment based on the measured visiblevertices and using those positions to generate a box for bounds;

(d) determining a center of the bounding box and assigning a newrotation point at the determined center (the center/rotation point isdetermined at the midpoint between the maximum and minimum X, Y, andZ-positions from operation (c) and the center/rotation point is set asthe vector that is used for scaling, rotation and translation of the 3Dobject); and

(e) scaling the new bounding box, 3D object and new rotation point tofill a unit cube. In the instance that the 3D object to be added isoversized or undersized for the current 3D environment, the scaling ofthe 3D object to a unit cube ensures that the 3D object is reduced orenlarged, respectively, to a size suitable for the current 3Denvironment.

In certain aspects, normalization of the 3D object additionally includesorienting the 3D object so that a front of the 3D object is facingtowards the camera. Normalizing for a front face orientation isperformed by analyzing an initial orientation of the 3D object alongwith initial dimensions of the 3D object then applying artificialintelligence (AI) to assign the front face to 3D object.

At operation 806, the authoring application 108 displays the normalized3D object within the 3D environment displayed in the 2D GUI of theauthoring application. The 3D object is displayed with the determinedcenter of the 3D positioned at the location selected by the author andis oriented such that a designated front of the 3D object faces thecamera.

FIGS. 9A-9B provide example views of a 2D GUI prior to normalization ofa 3D object placed within a 3D environment and after normalization ofthe 3D object.

FIGS. 9A-9B illustrate a 2D GUI 900 of the authoring application 108displaying a 3D environment that includes a background 902, a platter904 and a camera 906 centrally positioned within the platter 904. Eachof FIGS. 9A and 9B also includes a 3D object 908 that has been loadedwithin the 3D environment. In FIG. 9A, 3D object 908 has been loadedwithout normalization of its center, which is offset to the lower rightand outside of object 908. The originally assigned offset center of 3Dobject 908 in FIG. 9A has resulted in the offset center being positionedat the author's selected location within the 3D environment, theselection location being marked with a “+”. As such, the 3D object isnot presented in a position that the author was expecting.

FIG. 9B illustrates the 3D object 908 in a normalized state (e.g.,normalized according to example method 800) where the newly assignedcenter/rotation point resides at a determined actual center of the 3Dobject 908 rather than the originally assigned offset center.Accordingly, the new center of the 3D object has positioned at theauthor's selected location within the 3D environment, the selectionmarked with the same “+” of FIG. 9A, and appear in an orientation andposition that the author expected.

FIG. 10 provides an overview of an example method 1000 for rotating 3Dobjects in a 3D environment. Example method 1000 begins at operation1002 where the authoring application has received an indication that anauthor wishes to reposition a 3D object within the 3D environmentdisplayed in the 2D GUI of authoring application 108. The indication toadd the 3D object may be generated, for example, through a menuselection to add content or by selecting a placement location within the3D environment; other manners of generating the indication are alsopossible.

At operation 1004, authoring component presents the author with theoption of repositioning the 3D object through use of a floor translationmode or wall translation mode. The floor translation mode maintains the3D object at its current height relative to the platter while allowingthe 3D object to rotate about its rotation point, which is often thecenter point of the 3D object, to a desired angle. While maintaining the3D object at its current height, the floor translation mode also allowsthe 3D object to translate left or right and forward or back as desired.As such, the 3D object appears to be moving across the surface of theplatter (e.g., across the “floor” of the 3D environment). The walltranslation mode maintains the 3D object at its current position. Forexample, the 3D object is not allowed to translate left or right andforward or backward. While maintaining the 3D object at its currentposition, the wall translation mode allows the 3D object to translateupward and downward along an axis that is perpendicular to the platterand also allows the 3D object to rotate about this same axis. As such,the 3D object appears to be moving vertically relative to the platter(e.g. moving up and down an invisible “wall” that is perpendicular tothe platter).

Upon selection of the floor translation mode, example method 1000progresses to operation 1006. At operation 1006 the camera of theauthoring application is elevated in height to provide a downwardlooking view of the platter on which the 3D object is currentlypositioned.

At operation 1008, the 3D object may be selected and maneuvered aboutthe platter of the 3D environment using one or more input mechanisms. Indoing so, the X-Y Cartesian coordinates of the 3D object beingmaneuvered about the platter are converted by the authoring application108 into two of three parameters of a polar coordinate system (e.g.,angle, distance and height). Specifically, the X-Y Cartesian coordinatesof the cursor are translated to polar coordinates of distance and anglewhile the third polar coordinate, height, is held constant.

At operation 1010, maneuvering the 3D object results in a compoundmovement of the 3D object in distance and angle across the platter. Thecompound movement (e.g. simultaneous movement in the two dimensions ofdistance and angle) simplifies the translation of the 3D object byeliminating the need to move the 3D object along each axis in aCartesian coordinate system with a separate action.

Upon selection of the wall translation mode, the example method 1000progresses to operation 1012, wherein the camera of the authoringapplication is positioned at a ground (e.g. platter) elevation toprovide a forward looking view of the 3D environment.

At operation 1014, the 3D object may be selected and maneuvered relativethe background (the background is generally positioned perpendicular tothe platter as a wall is perpendicular to a floor) of the 3D environmentusing one or more input mechanisms. In doing so, the X-Y Cartesiancoordinates of the 3D object being maneuvered are translated by theauthoring application 108 into two of three parameters of a polarcoordinate system (e.g., angle, distance and height). Specifically, theX-Y Cartesian coordinates of the cursor are translated to polarcoordinates of height and angle while the third polar coordinate,distance, is held constant.

At operation 1016, the maneuvering of the 3D object results in acompound movement of the 3D object in height and angle relative thebackground. The compound movement (e.g. simultaneous movement in the twodimensions of height and angle) simplifies the translation of the 3Dobject by eliminating the need to move the 3D object along each axis ina Cartesian coordinate system with a separate action.

FIG. 11A illustrates the compound translations of a 3D object 1100during floor translation mode from both a top of view of the 3Denvironment and a side view of the 3D environment displayed within the2D GUI of the authoring application 108 of the present disclosure. Asshown, the 3D object has an adjustable angle A and an adjustabledistance D. The position of camera 1102 relative to the 3D object 1100and the platter 1104 of the 3D environment is also shown.

FIG. 11B illustrates the compound translations of a 3D object duringwall translation mode from both a top of view of the 3D environment anda side view of the 3D environment displayed within the 2D GUI of theauthoring application 108 of the present disclosure. As shown, the 3Dobject has an adjustable angle A and an adjustable height H. Theposition of the camera 1102 relative to the 3D object 1100, the platter1104 and the background 1106 of the 3D environment is also shown.

FIGS. 12-15 and the associated descriptions provide a discussion of avariety of operating environments in which aspects of the disclosure maybe practiced. However, the devices and systems illustrated and discussedwith respect to FIGS. 12-15 are for purposes of example and illustrationand are not limiting of a vast number of computing device configurationsthat may be utilized for practicing aspects of the disclosure, describedherein.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating physical components (e.g.,hardware) of a computing device 1200 with which aspects of thedisclosure may be practiced. The computing device components describedbelow may be suitable for the computing devices described above,including the computing devices 102 and 104 and the 3D environmentservice 106. In a basic configuration, the computing device 1200 mayinclude at least one processing unit 1202 and a system memory 1204.Depending on the configuration and type of computing device, the systemmemory 1204 may comprise, but is not limited to, volatile storage (e.g.,random access memory), non-volatile storage (e.g., read-only memory),flash memory, or any combination of such memories.

The system memory 1204 may include an operating system 1205 and one ormore program modules 1206 suitable for running software application1220, such as one or more components supported by the systems describedherein. As examples, system memory 1204 may include an authoringapplication 1224, a viewer application 1226, a user input processingengine 1228 and an authored environment data store 1230. The operatingsystem 1205, for example, may be suitable for controlling the operationof the computing device 1200.

Furthermore, embodiments of the disclosure may be practiced inconjunction with a graphics library, other operating systems, or anyother application program and is not limited to any particularapplication or system. This basic configuration is illustrated in FIG.12 by those components within a dashed line 1208. The computing device1200 may have additional features or functionality. For example, thecomputing device 1200 may also include additional data storage devices(removable and/or non-removable) such as, for example, magnetic disks,optical disks, or tape. Such additional storage is illustrated in FIG.12 by a removable storage device 1209 and a non-removable storage device1210.

As stated above, a number of program modules and data files may bestored in the system memory 1204. While executing on the processing unit1202, the program modules 1206 (e.g., application 1220) may performprocesses including, but not limited to, the aspects, as describedherein. Other program modules that may be used in accordance withaspects of the present disclosure may include electronic mail andcontacts applications, word processing applications, spreadsheetapplications, database applications, slide presentation applications,drawing or computer-aided application programs, etc.

Furthermore, embodiments of the disclosure may be practiced in anelectrical circuit comprising discrete electronic elements, packaged orintegrated electronic chips containing logic gates, a circuit utilizinga microprocessor, or on a single chip containing electronic elements ormicroprocessors. For example, embodiments of the disclosure may bepracticed via a system-on-a-chip (SOC) where each or many of thecomponents illustrated in FIG. 12 may be integrated onto a singleintegrated circuit. Such an SOC device may include one or moreprocessing units, graphics units, communications units, systemvirtualization units and various application functionality all of whichare integrated (or “burned”) onto the chip substrate as a singleintegrated circuit. When operating via an SOC, the functionality,described herein, with respect to the capability of client to switchprotocols may be operated via application-specific logic integrated withother components of the computing device 1200 on the single integratedcircuit (chip). Embodiments of the disclosure may also be practicedusing other technologies capable of performing logical operations suchas, for example, AND, OR, and NOT, including but not limited tomechanical, optical, fluidic, and quantum technologies. In addition,embodiments of the disclosure may be practiced within a general purposecomputer or in any other circuits or systems.

The computing device 1200 may also have one or more input device(s) 1212such as a keyboard, a mouse, a pen, a sound or voice input device, atouch or swipe input device, etc. The output device(s) 1214 such as adisplay, speakers, a printer, etc. may also be included. Theaforementioned devices are examples and others may be used. Thecomputing device 1200 may include one or more communication connections1216 allowing communications with other computing devices 1250. Examplesof suitable communication connections 1216 include, but are not limitedto, radio frequency (RF) transmitter, receiver, and/or transceivercircuitry; universal serial bus (USB), parallel, and/or serial ports.

The term computer readable media as used herein may include computerstorage media. Computer storage media may include volatile andnonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any methodor technology for storage of information, such as computer readableinstructions, data structures, or program modules. The system memory1204, the removable storage device 1209, and the non-removable storagedevice 1210 are all computer storage media examples (e.g., memorystorage). Computer storage media may include RAM, ROM, electricallyerasable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other memorytechnology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or other opticalstorage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage orother magnetic storage devices, or any other article of manufacturewhich can be used to store information and which can be accessed by thecomputing device 1200. Any such computer storage media may be part ofthe computing device 1200. Computer storage media does not include acarrier wave or other propagated or modulated data signal.

Communication media may be embodied by computer readable instructions,data structures, program modules, or other data in a modulated datasignal, such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism, andincludes any information delivery media. The term “modulated datasignal” may describe a signal that has one or more characteristics setor changed in such a manner as to encode information in the signal. Byway of example, and not limitation, communication media may includewired media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, andwireless media such as acoustic, radio frequency (RF), infrared, andother wireless media.

FIGS. 13A and 13B illustrate a mobile computing device 1300, forexample, a mobile telephone, a smart phone, wearable computer (such as asmart watch), a tablet computer, a laptop computer, and the like, withwhich embodiments of the disclosure may be practiced. In some aspects,the client may be a mobile computing device. With reference to FIG. 13A,one aspect of a mobile computing device 1300 for implementing theaspects is illustrated. In a basic configuration, the mobile computingdevice 1300 is a handheld computer having both input elements and outputelements. The mobile computing device 1300 typically includes a display1305 and one or more input buttons 1310 that allow the user to enterinformation into the mobile computing device 1300. The display 1305 ofthe mobile computing device 1300 may also function as an input device(e.g., a touch screen display).

If included, an optional side input element 1315 allows further userinput. The side input element 1315 may be a rotary switch, a button, orany other type of manual input element. In alternative aspects, mobilecomputing device 1300 may incorporate more or less input elements. Forexample, the display 1305 may not be a touch screen in some embodiments.

In yet another alternative embodiment, the mobile computing device 1300is a portable phone system, such as a cellular phone. The mobilecomputing device 1300 may also include an optional keypad 1335. Optionalkeypad 1335 may be a physical keypad or a “soft” keypad generated on thetouch screen display.

In various embodiments, the output elements include the display 1305 forshowing a graphical user interface (GUI), a visual indicator 1320 (e.g.,a light emitting diode), and/or an audio transducer 1325 (e.g., aspeaker). In some aspects, the mobile computing device 1300 incorporatesa vibration transducer for providing the user with tactile feedback. Inyet another aspect, the mobile computing device 1300 incorporates inputand/or output ports, such as an audio input (e.g., a microphone jack),an audio output (e.g., a headphone jack), and a video output (e.g., aHDMI port) for sending signals to or receiving signals from an externaldevice.

FIG. 13B is a block diagram illustrating the architecture of one aspectof a mobile computing device. That is, the mobile computing device 1300can incorporate a system (e.g., an architecture) 1302 to implement someaspects. In one embodiment, the system 1302 is implemented as a “smartphone” capable of running one or more applications (e.g., browser,e-mail, calendaring, contact managers, messaging clients, games, andmedia clients/players). In some aspects, the system 1302 is integratedas a computing device, such as an integrated personal digital assistant(PDA) and wireless phone.

One or more application programs 1366 may be loaded into the memory 1362and run on or in association with the operating system 1364. Examples ofthe application programs include phone dialer programs, e-mail programs,personal information management (PIM) programs, word processingprograms, spreadsheet programs, Internet browser programs, messagingprograms, and so forth. The system 1302 also includes a non-volatilestorage area 1368 within the memory 1362. The non-volatile storage area1368 may be used to store persistent information that should not be lostif the system 1302 is powered down. The application programs 1366 mayuse and store information in the non-volatile storage area 1368, such ase-mail or other messages used by an e-mail application, and the like. Asynchronization application (not shown) also resides on the system 1302and is programmed to interact with a corresponding synchronizationapplication resident on a host computer to keep the information storedin the non-volatile storage area 1368 synchronized with correspondinginformation stored at the host computer. As should be appreciated, otherapplications may be loaded into the memory 1362 and run on the mobilecomputing device 1300 described herein (e.g., search engine, extractormodule, relevancy ranking module, answer scoring module, etc.).

The system 1302 has a power supply 1370, which may be implemented as oneor more batteries. The power supply 1370 might further include anexternal power source, such as an AC adapter or a powered docking cradlethat supplements or recharges the batteries.

The system 1302 may also include a radio interface layer 1372 thatperforms the function of transmitting and receiving radio frequencycommunications. The radio interface layer 1372 facilitates wirelessconnectivity between the system 1302 and the “outside world,” via acommunications carrier or service provider. Transmissions to and fromthe radio interface layer 1372 are conducted under control of theoperating system 1364. In other words, communications received by theradio interface layer 1372 may be disseminated to the applicationprograms 1366 via the operating system 1364, and vice versa.

The visual indicator 1320 may be used to provide visual notifications,and/or an audio interface 1374 may be used for producing audiblenotifications via the audio transducer 1325. In the illustratedembodiment, the visual indicator 1320 is a light emitting diode (LED)and the audio transducer 1325 is a speaker. These devices may bedirectly coupled to the power supply 1370 so that when activated, theyremain on for a duration dictated by the notification mechanism eventhough the processor 1360 and other components might shut down forconserving battery power. The LED may be programmed to remain onindefinitely until the user takes action to indicate the powered-onstatus of the device. The audio interface 1374 is used to provideaudible signals to and receive audible signals from the user. Forexample, in addition to being coupled to the audio transducer 1325, theaudio interface 1374 may also be coupled to a microphone to receiveaudible input, such as to facilitate a telephone conversation. Inaccordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, the microphonemay also serve as an audio sensor to facilitate control ofnotifications, as will be described below. The system 1302 may furtherinclude a video interface 1376 that enables an operation of an on-boardcamera 1330 to record still images, video stream, and the like.

A mobile computing device 1300 implementing the system 1302 may haveadditional features or functionality. For example, the mobile computingdevice 1300 may also include additional data storage devices (removableand/or non-removable) such as, magnetic disks, optical disks, or tape.Such additional storage is illustrated in FIG. 13B by the non-volatilestorage area 1368.

Data/information generated or captured by the mobile computing device1300 and stored via the system 1302 may be stored locally on the mobilecomputing device 1300, as described above, or the data may be stored onany number of storage media that may be accessed by the device via theradio interface layer 1372 or via a wired connection between the mobilecomputing device 1300 and a separate computing device associated withthe mobile computing device 1300, for example, a server computer in adistributed computing network, such as the Internet. As should beappreciated such data/information may be accessed via the mobilecomputing device 1300 via the radio interface layer 1372 or via adistributed computing network. Similarly, such data/information may bereadily transferred between computing devices for storage and useaccording to well-known data/information transfer and storage means,including electronic mail and collaborative data/information sharingsystems.

FIG. 14 illustrates one aspect of the architecture of a system forprocessing data received at a computing system from a remote source,such as a personal computer 1404, tablet computing device 1406, ormobile computing device 1408, as described above. Content displayed atserver device 1402 may be stored in different communication channels orother storage types. For example, various documents may be stored usinga directory service 1422, a web portal 1424, a mailbox service 1426, aninstant messaging store 1428, or a social networking site 1430.

A 3D environment application 1420 may be employed by a client thatcommunicates with server device 1402, and/or the 3D environment datastore 1421 may be employed by server device 1402. The server device 1402may provide data to and from a client computing device such as apersonal computer 1404, a tablet computing device 1406 and/or a mobilecomputing device 1408 (e.g., a smart phone) through a network 1415. Byway of example, the computer system described above may be embodied in apersonal computer 1404, a tablet computing device 1406 and/or a mobilecomputing device 1408 (e.g., a smart phone). Any of these embodiments ofthe computing devices may obtain content from the store 1416, inaddition to receiving graphical data useable to be either pre-processedat a graphic-originating system, or post-processed at a receivingcomputing system.

FIG. 15 illustrates an exemplary tablet computing device 1500 that mayexecute one or more aspects disclosed herein. In addition, the aspectsand functionalities described herein may operate over distributedsystems (e.g., cloud-based computing systems), where applicationfunctionality, memory, data storage and retrieval and various processingfunctions may be operated remotely from each other over a distributedcomputing network, such as the Internet or an intranet. User interfacesand information of various types may be displayed via on-board computingdevice displays or via remote display units associated with one or morecomputing devices. For example, user interfaces and information ofvarious types may be displayed and interacted with on a wall surfaceonto which user interfaces and information of various types areprojected. Interaction with the multitude of computing systems withwhich embodiments of the invention may be practiced include, keystrokeentry, touch screen entry, voice or other audio entry, gesture entrywhere an associated computing device is equipped with detection (e.g.,camera) functionality for capturing and interpreting user gestures forcontrolling the functionality of the computing device, and the like.

Aspects of the present disclosure, for example, are described above withreference to block diagrams and/or operational illustrations of methods,systems, and computer program products according to aspects of thedisclosure. The functions/acts noted in the blocks may occur out of theorder as shown in any flowchart. For example, two blocks shown insuccession may in fact be executed substantially concurrently or theblocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending uponthe functionality/acts involved.

The description and illustration of one or more aspects provided in thisapplication are not intended to limit or restrict the scope of thedisclosure as claimed in any way. The aspects, examples, and detailsprovided in this application are considered sufficient to conveypossession and enable others to make and use the best mode of claimeddisclosure. The claimed disclosure should not be construed as beinglimited to any aspect, example, or detail provided in this application.Regardless of whether shown and described in combination or separately,the various features (both structural and methodological) are intendedto be selectively included or omitted to produce an embodiment with aparticular set of features. Having been provided with the descriptionand illustration of the present application, one skilled in the art mayenvision variations, modifications, and alternate aspects falling withinthe spirit of the broader aspects of the general inventive conceptembodied in this application that do not depart from the broader scopeof the claimed disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of displaying a content indicator of anobject, the method comprising: displaying a two-dimensional (2D)graphical user interface (GUI) of an authoring application; displayingwithin the 2D GUI a 3D environment; receiving an indication to load anobject into the 3D environment; based on receipt of the indication,displaying a content indicator indicating a loading status of theobject; and scaling the content indicator, wherein the scaling includes:determining a forward direction of the camera; determining a differencein position between the forward direction of the camera and the contentindicator; determining a scalar value based on the difference inposition; and applying the scalar value to the content indicator.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising detecting re-positioning of thecontent indicator and, in response to detecting the re-positioning,continuously scaling, in accordance with the re-positioning, the contentindicator to display at a consistent size and at a consistent angleindependent of a distance of the content indicator from the camera. 3.The method of claim 1, further comprising, determining that contentindicator is positioned at an edge of the display in the 2D GUI and, inresponse to determining that content indicator is positioned at an edgeof the display, rotating the content indicator about one of three localaxes of the content indicator to align with an upward direction of thecamera.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the camera views the 3Denvironment through a convex lens.
 5. The method of claim 1, whereindetermining the difference in position comprises determining adifference vector between the forward direction of the camera and thecontent indicator.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein determining thescalar value based on the difference comprises determining the scalar ofthe projection of the difference vector onto the determined forwarddirection of the camera.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the objectcomprises either a 3D object or a 2D object and wherein the contentindicator is consistent for both the 3D object and the 2D object.
 8. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the content indicator comprises an objectselected content indicator, a selected position content indicator, aloading error content indicator or a loading content indicator.
 9. Asystem to display a content indicator of an object, the systemcomprising: memory storing executable instructions; a processing deviceexecuting the instructions, wherein the instructions cause theprocessing device to: display a two-dimensional (2D) graphical userinterface (GUI) of an authoring application; display within the 2D GUI a3D environment; receive an indication to load an object into the 3Denvironment; based on receipt of the indication, display a contentindicator indicating a loading status of the object; and scale thecontent indicator, wherein the scaling includes: determine a forwarddirection of the camera; determine a difference in position between theforward direction of the camera and the content indicator; determine ascalar value based on the difference in position; and apply the scalarvalue to the content indicator.
 10. The system of claim 9, wherein theprocessing device is further caused to: detect re-positioning of thecontent indicator and, in response to detection of the re-positioning,continuously scale, in accordance with the re-positioning, the contentindicator to display at a consistent size and at a consistent angleindependent of a distance of the content indicator from the camera. 11.The system of claim 9, wherein the processing device is further causedto: determine that content indicator is positioned at an edge of thedisplay in the 2D GUI and, in response to the determination that contentindicator is positioned at an edge of the display, rotate the contentindicator about one of three local axes of the content indicator toalign with an upward direction of the camera.
 12. The system of claim 9,wherein the camera views the 3D environment through a convex lens. 13.The system of claim 9, wherein the determination of the difference inposition comprises determining a difference vector between the forwarddirection of the camera and the content indicator.
 14. The system ofclaim 13, wherein the determination of the scalar value based on thedifference comprises determining the scalar of the projection of thedifference vector onto the determined forward direction of the camera.15. The system of claim 9, wherein the object comprises either a 3Dobject or a 2D object and wherein the content indicator is consistentfor both the 3D object and the 2D object.
 16. The system of claim 9,wherein the content indicator comprises an object selected contentindicator, a selected position content indicator, a loading errorcontent indicator or a loading content indicator.
 17. Computer storagemedia storing executable instructions which when executed by a computingdevice cause the computing device to display a content indicator of anobject, the system comprising: memory storing executable instructions; aprocessing device executing the instructions, wherein the instructionscause the processing device to: display a two-dimensional (2D) graphicaluser interface (GUI) of an authoring application; display within the 2DGUI a 3D environment; receive an indication to load an object into the3D environment; based on receipt of the indication, display a contentindicator indicating a loading status of the object; and scale thecontent indicator, wherein the scaling includes: determine a forwarddirection of the camera; determine a difference in position between theforward direction of the camera and the content indicator; determine ascalar value based on the difference in position; and apply the scalarvalue to the content indicator.
 18. The computer storage media of claim17, wherein the computing device is further caused to: detectre-positioning of the content indicator and, in response to detection ofthe re-positioning, continuously scale, in accordance with there-positioning, the content indicator to display at a consistent sizeand at a consistent angle independent of a distance of the contentindicator from the camera.
 19. The computer storage media of claim 17,wherein the computing device is further caused to: determine thatcontent indicator is positioned at an edge of the display in the 2D GUIand, in response to the determination that content indicator ispositioned at an edge of the display, rotate the content indicator aboutone of three local axes of the content indicator to align with an upwarddirection of the camera.
 20. The computer storage media of claim 17,wherein the determination of the difference in position comprisesdetermining a difference vector between the forward direction of thecamera and the content indicator.